30% bodyfat to 15%... HOW?!

Andylegacy
Andylegacy Posts: 13 Member
edited November 14 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys!

Long time user of myfitnesspal user but first time poster and complete newbie to fat loss.

Some background info on myself: 25 years old, been powerlifting since I was 18 and around 30% bodyfat and im 245lbs.

I want to make a change in my life, im no longer happy with my flabby physique and would like to lean out before my big anniversary holiday in July.

I've never contiously tried to lose weight before, and have only counted calories and protein intake for the sake of lifting.

So like i said, I want to shed about 45lbs. any advice? I have a lot of muscle mass from my lifting past, so i would like to preserve my muscle and strength but shed this gross fat. I can't do much cardio due to a few hip and ankle problems but I have taken to boxing and brisk walks up hills.

can anyone offer some advice on how to reach my goals?

Planning to propose to my girlfriend on holiday so want to look good for her :)

Replies

  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    A calorie deficit, sufficient protein and a good training programme are all you need with the calories being 99% of the battle.
  • Andylegacy
    Andylegacy Posts: 13 Member
    trigden1991 wrote: »
    A calorie deficit, sufficient protein and a good training programme are all you need with the calories being 99% of the battle.

    thanks for the comment, sounds great!

    can my goals be achieved in the time frame? is 7 months enough to drop 45lbs?
  • ProBusinessTools
    ProBusinessTools Posts: 1 Member
    I'm in a similar situation. I just started on Jan 1. I'm 46 yo, medium lifting off and on for life, labral tear in hip, 242 lbs, 30% BF. Since I have a desk job, I set my calories at 1700 + exercise which normally brings me between 1900 and 2100 per day. I split that over 40% Protein, 30% Fat, 30% Carbs, and <50g Sugar. If I steadily loose weight I will keep it there, if I don't loose weight I've been told to drop it 100 cals every week until you steadily loose 1 to 2 lbs a week. Might not seem like a lot but should but you in your goal by summer. I might also throw in a few Keto or fasting days if nothing else seems to work. Since my sugar is low and half my carbs are fiber, my body should slowly burn fat.

    My understanding is that the liver is highly responsible for converting fat to energy so if you are trying to lose weight while drinking, you should stop. I heard on other boards "no one can loose weight while continuing to drink alcohol". That was a big factor for me so I stopped, where in the past I would drink 4-6 beers 3 days a week. I plan on a cheat weekend when I hit 10, 20, and 30lbs lost.

    Good luck!
  • CanadianRockies
    CanadianRockies Posts: 10 Member
    edited January 2017
    Andylegacy wrote: »
    can my goals be achieved in the time frame? is 7 months enough to drop 45lbs?
    How tall are you? More specifically, what is your Body Mass Index (BMI)? If you lose weight too quickly, then you risk sending your body into "starvation mode" with unhealthy consequences.

    Let's assume you're 5'10" tall. If you plug 245 pounds and 5'10" into the above BMI calculator link, then you'll see that your BMI is 35.2. If you take a look at the above "too quickly" link, then you'll see that you can safely lose up to 2 pounds per week until your BMI drops below 30 (i.e., until you reach 209.1 pounds). 245 - 209 = 35 pounds. If you succeed in losing 2 pounds per week, then you could drop those 35 pounds in 17.5 weeks (35 / 2 = 17.5).

    Once you reach 209 pounds, you should cut back on your calorie deficits so that you lose no more than 1.5 pound per week (again, to avoid starvation mode) until your BMI reaches 28 (which will happen when you weigh 195 pounds). But your goal is 200 pounds, so you only need to lose 9 pounds (209 - 200 = 9 pounds) at a rate of 1.5 pounds per week. This could take you an additional 6 weeks (9 / 1.5 = 6 weeks).

    Add 17.5 weeks plus 6 weeks and, ideally, you could safely lose your 45 pounds in 23.5 weeks (just under 6 months). Of course, that assumes you lose the maximum 2 pounds (then 1.5 pounds) per week each week. It's probably good that you have an extra month to achieve your goal (assuming you're 5'10" tall).

    Good luck!
  • spzjlb
    spzjlb Posts: 602 Member
    You can make great changes is 7 mo. Good that you're starting early.

    Most here would recommend a reasonably modest rate of loss (day, 1 lb per week) as it's just less painful, tho patience is key. That wouldn't get you down 45 lbs, so you could start more aggressively (2 lbs per week) while you're gung-ho then drop the rate of loss as you get closer to your goal.

    But the real objective of my response is to suggest that you not just use the scale. Use a variety of metrics, such as body measurements or even how a specific piece of clothing fits. Weight loss is not linear and the scale can be sometimes upsetting, so having other metrics is important to keep you motivated. For example, the scale might not change but your waistline may be smaller. Good luck!
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
    Andylegacy wrote: »
    Hi guys!

    Long time user of myfitnesspal user but first time poster and complete newbie to fat loss.

    Some background info on myself: 25 years old, been powerlifting since I was 18 and around 30% bodyfat and im 245lbs.

    I want to make a change in my life, im no longer happy with my flabby physique and would like to lean out before my big anniversary holiday in July.

    I've never contiously tried to lose weight before, and have only counted calories and protein intake for the sake of lifting.

    So like i said, I want to shed about 45lbs. any advice? I have a lot of muscle mass from my lifting past, so i would like to preserve my muscle and strength but shed this gross fat. I can't do much cardio due to a few hip and ankle problems but I have taken to boxing and brisk walks up hills.

    can anyone offer some advice on how to reach my goals?

    Planning to propose to my girlfriend on holiday so want to look good for her :)

    Basically you'll need to find the appropriate calorie intake such that you lose weight somewhere around .5 to 1.5% change in BW/week. Shoot for about 180-200g protein give or take. The remainder of your calories can go between fat and carbohydrate based on your preferences and performance needs.

    Weigh yourself daily and take the average of your bodyweight for each day to establish a weekly average weight and compare week to week averages, this will tell you whether or not you're losing at a reasonable pace and you can modify calories up or down as needed based on what your weight does.

    For food I would stick to "mostly" whole and minimally refined foods mostly for satiety and from a nutrient density standpoint. Eat protein with each meal, most people tend to do well on 3-5 meals/day in my opinion but that's not a hard and fast rule.

    Don't complicate the dieting piece beyond that.

    As far as training goes you can really keep training for powerlifting. Ideally your deficit shouldn't be so large that it causes performance issues, at least not to a significant extent IMO.
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